Anticlericalism and aristocratic intercession in Provence of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries

the aphorism of the oppositional relationship between State and family as starting point

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to discuss the relationship between the Princely Power, which some authors identified as the State, and the aristocratic kinsfolk in Provence of the 12th and 13th centuries. We take as a way the criticism to the ideas of important authors, such as Martin Aurell and Thierry Pécout. With justice, these are considered unavoidable by the medievalists who are concerned with the relations of power of Provence. From these authors, we will analyze how a Ecclesia in Provence was constituted from the indissociation of clergymen and laity under the prism of the relation between churches and families and of the ecclesiastical participation in the princely power. The primordial impulse of our reflections is given by the interest in thinking the seigniorial dynamics in Provence, specifically in the Diocese of Fréjus of the XII and XIII centuries. We outline some considerations that may guide future reflections on the power relations in the Midi and therefore call into question very strict and evident and well delimited cuts as sacred / profane. Therefore, in order to dialogue with the theme of this dossier, the ideas presented here are guided by the perspective of the deep imbrication between Clerics and Lay people and between families and broader organisms of power.